Driving test in an electric car

When I passed my test, every driving school seemed to own Austin/Morris 1100's and the hydrolastic suspension made hill starts much easier that other makes.

But there must have been those flashing orange beacons at pedestrian crossings ?

There are still some 'automatic' cars that are just automated manual cars, with a complex set of servo motors to change gear and operate the clutch. Vauxhall easytronic being one example.

They are tricky to drive smoothly if you are in a hurry and SIL's pug 208 with that type of box needs care when maneovering into tight parking spots.

I took my test in the driving school's dual control Morris Minor.

When I was asked to read a numbr plate, I started to answer but was told to get a bit closer. I did wonder if the examinaer could read the number from as far away as I could.

Mine will do both parallel or perpendicular parking.

So long as that doesn't mean perpendicular like this:

My first car which had a manual gear box had 3 forward gears. My present car perhaps because it is a diesel has twice as many. Do any automatics have more than 6 forward gears?

Just like Botswana.

For commercials they have up to 16 speed:

Dunno! A friend of mine did a house - and car - swap with a Yank who'd never driven a manual car. I witnessed some of the fun and games, and am damn glad that it wasn't *my* car that he was attempting to drive!

I interpreted the question to mean "can you use these features during a driving test" rather than at all.

My wife's VW ID.3 will virtually drive itself if allowed to - recognising the speed limit and driving within it, slowing down and stopping and starting when the vehicle in front does so, and automatically keeping to the lane you're in. I rather suspect that a driving examiner may need to see some evidence that you can do those things yourself!

Or motorways! I took mine in 1960. Why did you need two?

I don't.

That varys with the manual car and the traffic density on the roundabout. It isnt true when you have to come to a complete stop before entering the roundabout.

That only works when you dont have to stop before entering the roundabout.

Never get that myself. Your automatic must be f***ed by design.

Your automatic is f***ed by design.

They don't need to be at a roundabout.

Not with a well designed automatic.

Or you are stuck in your ways and there is a lot of evidence of that in other areas.

It's quieter - and smoother - and you can use regenerative braking, but otherwise it feels similar. Our VW ID.3 came with a lot more gizzmos - like electric parking brake with auto hold, adaptive cruise control, etc. but I guess that many fossil fuel cars have those these days.

Not that bad, but the first time I drove a left-hand drive car, I found that for a short period, it was like having driving lessons again. The muscle memory wasn't there and I had to think about each change, so while they were smooth enough, there was that little twitch of the car from side to side as I changed. I soon got over it though.

That's the problem. Without a number of lessons, people who've been driving for ages, while safe, would likely pick up enough minors to fail a test, simply because they were taught differently.

I have retaken my test (I trained as a driving instructor and so had to pass an extended test). I passed okay, but there were some changes and these days there are more. I was taught to change down the gears, these days they slow on the brakes and change down to the gear expected to be need when accelerating; my mirror checks would not be visible (indeed I failed my very first test back in the '80s, despite making the checks, because the examiner turned the instructor's mirror, for watching my eyes, away before the test); you are now expected to apply the handbrake, without pressing the release, clicking it up the ratchet, whereas I was taught to avoid wear by using the release button when applying the brake - these things soon add up. To pass the extended test, I had to consciously override my previous learning.

There is also much that you do after the test, making your own judgements, that would fail you. I feel it is better to complete a

If reversing left into a side road, I don't position myself close to the kerb, as the likely reason is that I am turning around, so I want to be near the centre-line ready to pull out to the right.

In a supermarket, I (90% of the time) drive forward into a parking space and reverse out, simply because reversing in stops me getting a trolley to the boot and transferring everything. At work, I don't need access to the boot and so reverse in.

I'll flash someone coming the other way, to let them know that I am going to wait and let them through first.

I did do a retest (extended and with a theory test and hazard perception test), due to training as a driving instructor. I actually found the theory test a doddle, but the hazard perception test was hard - as an experienced driver, I found that I was seeing hazards too early and flagging them outside the allowable time window! I actually had to consciously delay my clicking.

I tried a few of the demo videos. The trouble was they were fairly low resolution, so I was trying to make a decision on whether this cluster of a few pixels was a hazard or not. I too ended up clicking too early!

Theo

...

Nine seems to be common on Mercedes current models. Mine only has seven.